The end of 2009 approaches, as does the first anniversary of Nigel Clough’s appointment as manager of Derby County. Will this coincide with a winter of discontent for Rams fans? Already, doom and gloom merchants question the credentials of the management.

Nigel played at top levels of the English game, a fact overshadowed by the achievements and charisma of his father. Nigel’s high-level experience cannot be discounted; unlike ‘off the peg’ ex-player instant managers, Nigel served a lengthy apprenticeship at Burton, building success on solid foundations.

Derby County has been in turmoil and now needs a steady hand on the rudder. Nigel Clough must be given his chance. Derby County desperately needs consistency from the management, this properly supported financially by GSE.

I’m not advocating blind faith though will give every manager a chance - indeed I expected Paul Jewell to keep us from relegation. I can only speculate how a manager with a proven track record at less fashionable Premier clubs failed so spectacularly at Derby.

Speculation about Davies leaving Derby County the day after Wembley was unsavoury; perhaps it started the rot. Images of Pearson’s winning goal, replayed on Sky News accompanied by speculation regarding Davies’ future are bitter/sweet memories.

Derby granted Billy his wish list of player targets and staff, including the much-lauded David ‘Ned’ Kelly - but failed to cut the mustard as Premier League new boys, and Davies left.

What if DCFC had let Billy go after that play off final? That would have been a very brave decision - but would a new manager then have given Derby more chance of Premier League survival? We can only guess at the size of the task Davies left behind for Jewell in November 2007.

The nagging feeling that something at Derby was so drastically wrong then lingered. Far from being a fresh start in the Championship, Derby failed to show any signs of recovery from the previous season.

Jewell left and Nigel Clough answered the call. Pride Park Stadium became a hotbed of press fever with inevitable comparisons between father and son following Clough’s appointment. After the previous turmoil of owner and management changes we must surely give Nigel time to rebuild the playing side of Derby County.

Let’s have silence from the moaners to give the Manager a chance for once. The foundations are very slowly being laid. With the wage bill lowered, Clough is desperately trying to recruit players who will play for the Rams with pride.

Off the field, GSE has done many good things to restore pride in the club. The Bloomer memorial, the 125 Legends team, the proposed Clough and Taylor statue show a desire to make the club great again.

The manager must be left to do his work and lay foundations for the future. What would be achieved by hopping back on the managerial merry-go-round? It’s time that some Rams fans realised there are no quick fixes.

The Trader column is for individual members of RamsTrust to put their point of view across in the media. Although the views will not contravene the principles of the trust, the views expressed are entirely personal to the author and do not necessarily represent RamsTrust policy.

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